Destiny's 'Loot Cave' Showcases Bungie's Lingering Endgame Problems

The games media has seemed to have recently just discovered the famed "loot cave" in Destiny, a way to get gear in the game that's been around for quite a while, but has quickly become far and away the game's most popular avenue to acquire items.

In short, it's the definition of shooting fish in a barrel. Players travel to a specific point past the Cosmodrome in Old Russia, find a cluster of 3-5 other players shooting blindly into a cave across the map, and join them. They reap the rewards from a cluster of infinitely respawning enemies who resurrect themselves seconds after death, dropping loot at an alarming rate.

The loot cave is not an exploit. It's not a bug. But it is a perfect metaphor for everything wrong with Destiny's endgame right now, and showcases some very real problems with the game.

Right now, the cave is the absolute best way to find rare and legendary item drops based on how the game doles out loot. Items drop based on how many enemies you kill, not how tough the enemies are. In other words, it seems as if a level 24 yellow-armored Ogre has the same chance as dropping a good item as a level 5 Thrall with a two second lifespan in the loot cave.

As such, players want to find a way to kill the most enemies in the least amount of time possible, and out of the many respawn-camping areas in the game, the loot cave is easily the best. It's why you'll find a host of level 20-27 players sitting at that spot at all times in the game's patrol mode. But wait, shouldn't they be out completing epic Strikes and Raids? Getting new gear and having a "great story to tell" about each piece?

Right now, a great many gear stories in Destiny stem from the loot cave. Too many, judging by how obscenely popular the spot is.

Without a doubt, this specific area will patched at some point, though after that, players will undoubtedly find another like it, and another after that. But before that happens, it serves to showcase that Bungie needs to really rethink their reward system and endgame play.

Ideally, a level 20 to 26 player should be using the Strike matchmaking playlist to get new gear. The challenging Strikes require cooperation between three members of a fireteam and have guaranteed gear rewards at the end, after all. Far more interesting than shooting into a cave eternally, right?

Yes, but it isn't efficient. And in a game that focuses so heavily on grinding for gear, efficiency is everything. A Strike can last anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour, depending on the skill level of your team and how often you die and have to restart instances. You'll usually be rewarded with 1-3 pieces of rare gear, and a handful of green uncommon items.

But spend that time in the loot cave? Though item drops are random, if you forgo a Strike for the cave, you'll probably see five times the number of rare and uncommon drops, and perhaps even a few legendaries to boot.

The same can be said of the game's famed level 26 Raid, what high level players are supposed to be doing to acquire new and amazing gear. If that's the case, then why do I see so many level 26+ players at the repetitive loot cave when they should be taking on the most challenging, diverse content the game has to offer?

Right now the Raid is essentially a wall for many players who don't want to go through the trouble to assemble a group of five friends or strangers to try and attempt the challenge. Even if they are the proper level for the activity, the Raid is either too daunting from an organizational or a difficulty perspective, whereas the loot cave is a two minute drive and an endless fountain of gear.

It's weird to see one area perfectly sum up so many problems with the game. To recap:

- End game activities need better rewards for how challenging/time-consuming they are

- The Raid needs to be reworked into something the other 95% of the player base can/want to actually play

- Gear grinding alone should not be the only measure of progression after the level 20 cap

The obvious solution is to simply patch the loot cave, and disperse the crowd gathered there by upping the time it takes for enemies to reappear. And yet, players will continue to find exploit after exploit if all the above issues remain in the game.

I've heard Destiny described as "purgatory" from levels 20-28, and I think that's a pretty accurate label. The loot cave really does feel like a giant waiting room as you sit there hoping for that one piece of gear to drop that will propel you to the next level.

It's the worst way to play the game by far, but it's also the most rewarding. And right now it sums up all of Destiny's biggest problems.